THE DEMOCRATIC CLASSROOM: ASSESSMENT Session 5

Overview This session on assessment presents various assessment methods and highlights transformative methods of assessment which are often overlooked. It encourages participants to look at their classroom and see how the various methods can be used to support the development of democratic behaviours. In the democratic classroom and in the process of helping students become creative thinkers, a variety of assessment strategies must be employed and students must be involved in making the choice. In this way both teachers and students could be helped to make judgments about their progress and assist their self-development.

Objectives Review the Assessment Process Introduce the Principles of Assessment Review Assessment, Self-Assessment and Peer-assessment methods Participants reflect on their personal Assessment practices

The Assessment Process Review the (teaching)Unit; Plan assessment; Design assessment by selecting appropriate methods and instruments and developing material; include learners in selection of assessment methods; Inform learners of requirements and ensure they understand their role and responsibility regarding assessment; Conduct assessment; Make judgments and provide feedback to learners.

Assessment for Learning Assessment for learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers, identifying where they need to go and how best to get there. Whatever methodology used, the focus should be on actively involving students in their own learning and providing feedback. The focus should also be on the impact of assessment on student motivation and self esteem and recognizing the benefits of self assessment. In this process, democratic principles are being observed and passed on – principles such as fairness, equity, meaningful participation, responsibility and acceptable standards.

Assessment of Learning Is always undertaken for specific purposes. Consistent judgments are made. It uses item analysis to identify gaps in learning. Descriptions are used in a holistic way. Teacher-made tests are often assessments of learning which will enable the teacher to make a judgment of the student’s abilities and skills at a particular time. For example a multiple choice quiz testing knowledge of a group of democratic principles gives a grade out of a total of 10.

In assessment for learning the focus is on the student, while assessment of learning focuses on what was learnt.

Teacher-Made Tests Teacher-made tests are usually used for an individual or a group of students. These tests, if they are effective, should reveal the following: The students’ strengths and needs The skills or concepts the learner needs to learn next Misconceptions that require re-teaching or more background How the student is processing information The learner’s interpretation of the content

Assessment of Problem solving and Decision making Evaluating students’ solutions to a problem or a decision requires a different approach to the evaluation of facts and concepts. There are, however, particular skills students develop in the process. Teachers may consider the following when assessing problem solving and decision making. The quality and quantity of ideas generated when students identify possible solutions. Students’ ability to identify and rank criteria upon which solutions are based. Students’ ability to explain their reasons for choosing a particular solution. Students’ ability to articulate or write down the process that they used to solve the problem. The extent to which students can apply the problem-solving process to another situation. Hypothetical problems lend themselves to this process.

Assessment of Values and Attitude Objectives In teaching for the development of values, teachers are expected to positively influence students’ values and attitudes such as empathy, integrity, fairness, respect, honesty etc. Values objectives call for students to respect, appreciate, understand or empathise. While students are not expected to adopt the values of others, they are expected to respect those values. Teachers may use an observation check list to assess growth and development during selected activities

Assessment & Evaluation ‘Assessment means to gather and interpret information about students achievement... Assessing students achievement is generally accomplished through tests, classroom and take-home assignments, and assigned projects. Strictly speaking “assessment” refers to assignments and tasks that provide information, and “evaluation” refers to judgements based on that information.’ Evaluation data is traditionally gathered at the end of a unit of study, a semester, or the year.’ Evaluation is the making of judgments about quality.

Criteria for Developing Effective Assessments A. Purpose and Impact - How will the assessment be used and how will it impact instruction and the selection of curriculum? B. Validity and Fairness - Does it measure what it intends to measure? Does it allow students to demonstrate both what they know and are able to do? C. Reliability - Is the data that is collected reliable across applications within classroom, school? D. Significance - Does it address content and skills that are valued by and reflect current thinking in the field? E. Efficiency - Is the method of assessment consistent with the time available in the classroom setting?

Self-Assessment Self- assessment requires students to review their work to determine what they have learned and what areas of confusion still exist. This is based on evidence and explicit criteria and serves the purpose of doing better work in the future. “Self-assessment gives the learner a sense of ownership and responsibilities. Pride develops as individuals see how much they have learned from the entry point through the end of study.” (Chapman and King (2005) p.59).

Reflective Questions for Students What did I learn? What did I do well? What am I confused about? What do I need help with? What do I want to know more about? What am I going to work on next?

Teacher prompts to aid Student Reflection How many adjustments or changes did you make? Tell me about one of them. What obstacles did you overcome? What discoveries have you made? How will you do this differently next time? Describe the easiest part. Describe your least favourite part. Tell about the most enjoyable part of the assessment activity.

Self-Assessment Methods TEACHER-STUDENT INTERVIEWS JOURNALS RATING SCALES CHECKLISTS QUESTIONNAIRES REFLECTION LOGS RUBRICS PORTFOLIOS VIDEOTAPES TEACHER-STUDENT INTERVIEWS

All assessments should include enough time for students to consider thoughtfully and evaluate their progress.’ When students get to understand the criteria for excellent work, they will then strive to meet these criteria. Criteria must be clear, and eventually students should develop their own criteria to judge good work.

Journals Journals foster learning in many ways Students who write journals are actively engaged in their own learning. They can clarify and reflect upon their thinking. They can record such things as ideas and feelings, special words and expressions they have heard, interesting things that have happened to them or information about interesting people. Journal writing offers learners opportunities to write without fear of competition and marking. Every journal entry is individualized.

Journals Teachers should not grade or correct the writing in journals – only finished pieces should be used for grading – teachers could however comment on students' writing. They should offer suggestions, constructive remarks, questions, and encouragement whenever possible. Learners will then respond to the teacher's comments. The evaluation of journals should emphasize the content. While each journal is unique, good journals share the following characteristics: personal observations questions speculations and predictions evidence of developing self-awareness connections between personal experience and new information

Checklists Checklists are basically ‘a list of measurable dimensions of a performance or product, with a place to record a simple “yes” or “no” judgment’. In constructing a checklist for performance assessment, the following steps are suggested (Gronlund, p. 132): 1. List the procedural steps or product characteristics to be evaluated. 2. Add common errors to the list, if such is useful in diagnosing poor performance. 3. Arrange the list in some logical order (e.g sequence of steps). 4. Provide instructions and place for checking each item. 5. Add a place for comments at the bottom of the form, if needed.

Rubrics Rubrics are guides to assessing levels of performance of tasks identified for students to perform. Rubrics serve to assure (to some degree) that assessments are objective, fair and reliable. They focus on essential tasks, provide benchmarks or standards, promote self-assessment and allow for feedback. A rubric is an authentic assessment tool which is designed to simulate real life activity where students are engaged in solving real-life problems. It is a formative type of assessment because it becomes an ongoing part of the teaching and learning process. As students become familiar with rubrics, they can assist in the rubric design process. This involvement empowers the students and as a result, their learning becomes more focused and self directed.

Creating Rubrics Rubrics can be created in a variety of forms and levels of complexity. However, they contain three common features. 1.Focus on measuring a stated objective [performance, behavior or quality 2.Use a range of scores to rate performance. 3.Contain specific performance characteristics arranged in levels indicating the degree to which a standard has been met There are essential tasks in developing rubrics: Select important criteria that will be considered when evaluating student responses. Specify explicit standards that describe different levels of performance. For each criteria the standards must be clearly stated. It is helpful to provide behavioural descriptions and/or specimens or examples to illustrate the different levels of performance. Determine what type of scoring procedure you will use.

HOLISTIC RUBRIC FOR A SCIENCE PROJECT

Peer-Assessment Peer-assessment is a way of using students to comment on and judge their colleagues’ work. This can be used in both formative and summative assessment. It involves students assessing each other and providing feedback and opportunities for improvement For peer assessment to be successful, students must have a clear understanding of what they are to look for in their peers’ work .

Peer-Assessment Methods ESSAY WRITING ORAL PRESENTATIONS REFLECTION LOGS SMALL GROUP ACTIVITIES LEARNING CENTRES CASE STUDIES ROLE PLAY

Strengths of Peer-Assessment Students internalize the criteria for high-quality work. Students understand the process of getting to the standard. Teachers involve students in the monitoring process and shift some of the responsibility for documenting and justifying learning to the students. Students learn respect for others and tolerance for ideas different to their own. Research has shown that high-performing learners do the following: self-monitor; self-correct; and use feedback from peers to guide their learning process.

Preparing for Peer-Assessment Students should be informed at the introduction about the structure and functions of peer assessment. They must be very clear on what is involved and it is necessary to give them ample practice. Without practice they are unlikely to get it right. The teacher must also give them immediate feedback on their performance as peer assessors, constantly guiding them towards improvement. Use peer assessment for formative assessment, at least initially If used sumatively, give students “mark-free” practice first Take it slowly and prepare students for the process Be explicit about the reasons for and benefits of using peer assessment Keep the system simple Provide clear criteria, and possibly involve students in discussing or negotiating criteria.

Activity Apply the following Checklist to your experience in this workshop Building Democratic Classrooms. What is the most important thing I learned about---------------- How can I explain------------------? What was the most difficult part of---------------? What was the easiest part of----------------? What do I need to learn next about-----------? If I could have done one thing differently about------------what would it have been? Do I have any other comments?

Summary The session presented approaches to Assessment, Self-assessment and Peer-assessment, and made the distinction between Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning. No single approach should be viewed as the only way to assess student achievement. It is important to use assessment strategies which measure not just low level learning objectives but also higher-level outcomes. No single assessment approach can adequately assess all of the complex skills and knowledge taught in school across all subject areas. Because each strategy has its strengths and weaknesses, one can capitalize on the strengths of the various approaches in order to achieve the best, most reliable information about one’s students’ learning in order to help them to improve.

Thank you!